Turkey week

In preparation for Thanksgiving, we finally got a dining room table to fill the room previously filled by a swing, a pack n play, and stray toys.  Of course, with only four adults eating for Thanksgiving, we didn't really need it, but it was a nice change of scenery from the kitchen to the dining room and these hectic days of our lives, we need a deadline if things are going to get done.

But more exciting than the table was the box that the bench for the table arrived in.  Much time has been spent in the box by children and adults alike.  Meals have been eaten, naps (the pretend kind) have been taken, flashlights have been shone, cars have been driven, and fun has been had.  Even baby Jesus from our Fisher Price nativity scene got to hang out in the box.  It was adorable hearing Brady's conversation with Jesus.  Part of it included showing him Mary and explaining who she was, and pointing to me to let him know I was his mommy.  You know, in case the son of God got confused.

Baby J on Turkey Day with daddy, some football, and a paci

On Friday, Brady played with our neighbor, Chloe, and it's always excitement when she comes over.  She wore him out, which I always appreciate.

Running, lots of running



No limbs were broken in the shooting of these pictures



 

This is pretend sleeping...trust me.

 

Also pretend sleeping, from a few days before.  But adorable while it lasted.



We went to the Carolina football game Saturday.  They lost to a heartbreaker against Duke, but Brady got to hang out with his grandparents, his friends and Rameses, so it was a win in his book.

 

And finally, since I am really loving Brady and Jackson together these days, here's a post-game, post-nap video of the boys.

 

Lunch break with daddy

From Thursday to Sunday, Eric was gone 4 nights on a basketball trip.  We thrived survived.  It's nice to have him back and we're looking forward to Thanksgiving with Eric's parents at our house.  I was looking/sounding/acting a bit weary yesterday and he told me he was going to lock me in our room when his parents got here so I could sleep.  Can you imagine anything so wonderful?

Since Eric doesn't get home from work until 6:30 or 7 on most nights, some days we stop by his work at lunchtime.  It helps that his workplace is a little more fun than most! 

Here's a video from lunch today.  I was trying to get Jackson to show off his scooting skills, but as per usual, he was more interested in his brother than his mother.

Letters to Jackson: 6 months

Jackson,

Happy half birthday!  It's crazy to me that you're about as close to walking as you are to your birth.  It doesn't seem like 6 months ago.  The weeks seem to go fast but I won't lie, some of the days are loooong.



 It's truly amazing your ability to make my heart melt one moment and make me want to pull my hair out the next.  As your father so eloquently stated just a few minutes ago when I explained my frustration on this particular evening, "He's just a baby!"  Which of course, I understand, and you're a sweet one at that.  But you've got some spunk to you which I wouldn't trade.

 And watch out, because you're on the move!  To call it a crawl might be an overstatement but it seems to be more than your standard army crawl.  You see something you want, your eyes get super big, and you very effectively hoist yourself along with your right leg and right forearm.  Your brother is getting his first glimpse at your ability to take his toys, mess up his games, and generally cause havoc in his life.  We'll see how things go in the upcoming months.  He's generally a very kind brother, but like his mom, he sometimes needs to be reminded that "he's just a baby!"

Brady wakes up asking for you.  Mornings that he's at preschool or times when afternoons when he is napping, I feel like we sometimes look at each other and think, "what now?"  He entertains in a way I can't, but I do cherish our alone time and want to make sure I always make special time for mommy and Jackson.
 
I'm sorry we had to resort to letting you cry during the night.  I'm not sure who its worse on...I don't have tears running down my face (although its been close), so I'll go ahead and say its toughest on you (but you're quick to forgive and forget).  But I know you need and want to sleep and I think we're
making progress.  But its slow and sad and above all, I hope you know how much I love you.


As sad as you are at night, I can be guaranteed a great big smile in the morning.  I hate mornings and very few things will make me rethink that stance...but if there is anyone that can, its you, my sweet smiling baby.



I love you so much.

Love,
Mom

Sleep training, night 1

In the spirit of staying positive, here are a few things that are possibly (but not necessarily) worse than hearing your baby "cry-it-out" at night:

1) Knowing you really need to work out.  Putting on your workout clothes, then putting coats/hats/shoes on both your kids, loading up both kids in the stroller, then walking out of the garage and realizing that a 58 degree morning has turned to a windy 40 degree afternoon.  Workout denied.  And your husband isn't coming home before bedtime.
2) Putting sheets on a bed that is flush to the wall.  Also putting sheets on a crib which is at the lowest setting.  Also doing this many times per week because of bladder/diaper problems.
3) Getting home from the grocery story and realizing that you forgot the ONE thing you really need.  Which was starred and underlined on the list you made.  Or realizing you bought it, and left it in the cart.
4) Not having a baby.

Ok, this is really taking a sad turn, so I'll stop there.

We are doing a little sleep-training in our house.  Last night was night #1 and it wasn't fun.  Jackson's schedule for the past week was pretty consistent.  Consistently terrible.  It generally looked like this:

Asleep 8 pm.  Wake up 11, wake up 2:30, wake up 4:30, wake up 5:30.  This varied by a half hour or so (although the 5:30 wake up has been eerily consistent for weeks now), but you get the point.  I'm just not that good of a person when I have to wake up 4 times a night for 6 months in a row (although there was a point we were down to 2 times a night), so extreme measures needed to be taken. 

Last night, J woke up at 10:30.  The UNC basketball game had just ended, Eric wouldn't be home for a few hours, and I decided since there's no good time to let your baby cry, tonight would be the night.  Fast forward an hour....and he's finally asleep.  Its amazing how and hour nap from your kids can feel like a brief moment in time, but that same kid screams for an hour and you feel like you've aged 5 years.  I know some moms would tell me I'm terrible and some moms would tell me I'm long overdue, but ultimately, I do think this will be the best for Jackson and for me.  The key word is ultimately.  Not last night, and probably not tonight.

He did wake again at 3:30 and I fed him.  And he woke up at 5:30 and I fed him.  Baby steps, people.  But I put him awake in his crib for TWO naps today AND at bedtime and he fell asleep on his own, with minimal fussing.  This is HUGE progress for my baby who fights sleep likes its nobody's business.

I'm currently facing an internal debate.  Do I go to sleep now, only to be waken shortly (inevitably right after I fall asleep) and then have to suffer through a long period of crying?  Or do I stay awake anticipating its arrival (knowing its much easier to deal with something when you haven't slept yet) but with the potential that J may actually sleep until the AM hour?  Is there another option?  Shut the door and sleep on our 3rd floor's (comfortable) couch and let Eric deal with it?  Plan 3 is sounding really good....

Pictures lately

Bedtime...my favorite time of the day.  Here's a picture of it in our house.  Bath time is getting fun in mom and dad's bathtub.  I'm so excited for the day I get to use the bath...by myself.  I've always wanted a bath with jets.  I finally have one...obviously I haven't used it yet.

 

 

Grandma and Grandpa visited from Iowa last week.  I love this picture...especially because Brady and Grandpa are each holding screwdrivers and there's a funny reason behind it (Grandma and Grandpa recorded a Christmas book, which required a screwdriver, and required teamwork to which Grandma and Grandpa were not a shining example of, but proved to be good entertainment).

The Webb family visited last weekend as well.  We're so excited that they're moving back to NC!  With Jessica enjoying a brunch date away from her family of 5, I enjoyed my Sunday afternoon lunch with 7 boys, followed by basketball at our house.  It was pointed out several times at lunch that I was the only girl present.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miscellaneous pics.

 



 

 

Things to remember

Brady's almost 2 1/2 and every day with him is...interesting.  I love it, and love him and there are many quirks that I'm sure will be fleeing and I'll likely forget in my sleep-deprived stupor (thanks to Jackson, not Brady).  So in the interest of writing them down so we can look back and laugh (and possibly cry), this, my son, is what I want to remember about you.

• The way you eat waffles in the morning.  YOU have the be the one to get them out of the package.  You then take a big bite of the frozen waffle, despite how many times I tell you that it is 1) weird 2) probably not great for your teeth.  YOU then put the waffles in the toaster and push it down.
•  "Make mommy's coffee." You sit on the counter and proudly help make my coffee each morning.  Two of my favorite things merged together.  If you had it your way, I'd have 5 cups a day.
• Your love of strangers.  We were walking out of the restaurant the other night and you approached several patrons and said "High five."  It came out clear as day to me but they looked at you strangely until you raised up your hand to show them what you meant. 
• Your coping mechanisms. Your thumb and your hair are firmly attached to your body and that's what you use to soothe yourself.  I joke that its because you know that your parents aren't responsible enough to keep up with a pacifier and lovey. 
• Your sensitively. Most kids like getting their boo-boos kissed by their moms, that's nothing original.  But you want to make other people's boo-boos better by kissing them, and your clumsy mother is often the recipient. Once, when you were yelling inside the house, I told you that it hurt my ears.  So of course you responded, "Kiss it" and leaned up to kiss my ears.
• Your love of sports.  Your preschool teacher was helping you make a Halloween craft the other day and she said, "Look Brady, it's a bat."  She told me you jumped up, pretended like you were swinging a bat and started throwing out baseball terminology.  Perhaps we need to expand your horizons.
• "Eat time" - that's what you call your meals.  It's cute, but when we hear it during the 6 o'clock hour its less endearing.  Your father pretends not to hear it sometimes and turns on the TV to distract you.  It sometimes works.
• Your love of hair.  I'm sure your future wife will have lovely locks because hair is your thing.  You love to twirl it...mine, yours, or any strangers within arm's length.  It's cute when you reach for Jackson's, whose hair isn't twirlable yet. Which leads me to...
• Your love of your brother.  Pictures tell a better story than I can.

Love these boys.





Halloween in the hood

Halloween was a success this year.  Jackson was a recycled giraffe and Brady's love of jerseys inspired him to be a football player.  In the morning, we put eye black on him he had a fit.  Of course, by the end of the day when we had to take it off, he also had a fit because he liked it so much.





Brady had his first experience trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood.  The boys and I started out at our neighbor's house, eating pizza and hanging out.  Eric didn't get off work until about 6:30 so he made his way over.  Eric had a huge afro wig on and he walked up in front of Brady and said his name.  Brady heard his dad, looked around at all the people standing around, and couldn't figure out where the voice came from.  Eric probably said Brady's name 6 times as he stood directly in front of him.  It was priceless to watch Brady try to find him...which he never did until Eric took the wig off.

We started the trick-or-treating with friends, but their longer legs (and eagerness to get candy) were a bit much for Brady.  Also, their visits were a bit too short for my social husband who wanted to meet all the neighbors.  So we broke out on our own.  Eric managed to meet some neighbors who were Carolina fans and he gave away basketball tickets to last night's exhibition game.  I'm curious if the neighbors trusted him enough to show up at will call for the tickets.